Skill Levels
An apprentice is a person who does not have any experience or training but will complete occupational training
which is generally on-the-job experience combined with classroom instruction. As a general rule,
admission into an apprenticeship program requires basic skills including reading, arithmetic, and aptitude.
A trainee is a person who has one year of training in a technical school or on-the-job experience and has more
technical knowledge than an apprentice.
A journey-level technician is a person who generally has four to five years of training and experience. Journey-level
technicians generally have more knowledge and skill than a trainee. Most of our technical skills tests have been developed for
measuring knowledge at the journey-level. Some companies in the steel industry have
starting, intermediate, and standard journey-levels.
Above journey-level technicians are those who have achieved a high level of knowledge in their area of expertise.
They demonstrate more knowledge and skill than journey-level technicians.
For each skill level, tests have been developed to measure knowledge and skills required for that level.
Below are recommendations of tests for Mechanical, Electrical, and Multi-Craft personnel ordered by skill level.
The links on the Testing Categories menu on the left provide a comprehensive list of all tests for each knowledge and skill area.
Some tests may appear in more than one category.
More information about developing trainees and apprentices into journey-level maintenance personnel can be found
in the informational article Tests for Maintenance Trainees or Learners.
Additionally, our C, B, & A Maintenance Mechanics Tests and
C, B, & A Mechanical Technicians Tests represent a hierarchy of craft knowledge above
journey-level.
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